Turning Payne

by Chantel Seabrook

  "Hey Lo-lo," Turner said, tugging playfully on her dark ponytail.

  He was still getting used to the idea that his brother had chosen a mate, and that his mate just happened to be Jacob Oliver's youngest sister. But if his brother had to choose anyone, Turner was glad it was Lora. She was practically like a sister anyways, only now she happened to be shacking up with his brother.

  Lora rolled her eyes, then stood on her toes and placed a chaste kiss on Turner's cheek. "Thanks for the house warming present. Come to take it home with you?"

  "Funny. And No." Turner shoved his hands in his pockets and propped his hip against the counter. "I was hoping you could keep her here for a few more days."

  Lora frowned but nodded. "Chase won't tell me what's going on. This better not have anything to do with—"

  "Riley." Turner quickly interrupted her when he saw Riley hovering by the basement door, her scent invading his senses. Her eyes were swollen as if she'd been crying, and his gut tightened.

  The urge to protect her, wrap her in his arms, surged through him. She was proving to be a distraction. If he were smart, he would leave her with Chase and Lora while he tracked down Marcus. But leaving her, even with people he trusted, left a bad taste in his mouth.

  Lora crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at Turner expectantly. Shit, this wasn't going to be good.

  He cleared his throat and winced. "Lora, this is Riley."

  "Riley Boyd," Chase said, the slight hint of a warning in his voice.

  "Boyd?" Lora said, her expression deadpan. Her lips tightened in a thin line as she took turns glaring between him and Chase, then locking on Riley, who seemed just as baffled as Lora did.

  Riley shifted uncomfortably under Lora's gaze. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I wanted to say thank you for taking care of my…" Her voice cracked. "Sister."

  "Your sister?" Lora fisted her hands on her hips and gifted Turner with another dirty look. "What the hell have you done now?"

  "Chase can explain it to you." He reached for Riley's wrist and pulled her towards the door. "We have to go."

  "Explain what?" Riley's gaze locked onto his face.

  "The less you know the better," Turner said, sensing the anger that was beginning to simmer within her, but not knowing how else to divert her attention.

  Riley yanked her wrist free. "That's bullshit. I deserve to know what's going on if it involves my family."

  Turner growled, a low rasp that pushed between his clenched teeth. "I'm trying to protect you."

  "Protect me from what?" Riley took a step back so that she was standing next to Lora. "My sister's been turned into a lion. What else could you possibly tell me that could be worse than that?"

  Turner ignored her, despite the growing desire to tell her everything. To expose Boyd for who he truly was. Why allow her to keep her precious memories of a man who was nothing more than a murderer?

  He slammed his fist on the counter, making both of the women jump. Chase responded with a snarl that curled the side of his lips and exposed his canines. Fuck. He had to get out of there now. But he wasn't leaving without Riley.

  "You're going to be in so much trouble when Jacob finds out," Lora said, with real fear in her words.

  "If Jacob finds out," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  "Seriously? You really think you can keep this from my brother? When he finds out you've got both of Richard Boyd's daughters holed up in…shit, in MY basement!" Lora turned on Chase and punched him in the shoulder. "And you knew about this?"

  "Can someone please tell me what's going on, and what my father has to do with any of this?"

  "She doesn't know?" Lora threw her hands up in the air and started to pace.

  "Know what?"

  "Nothing," Turner bit out. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to hold back the anger that pounded through his veins at the mention of Boyd's name. He gave Riley a hard look. "Let's go."

  Riley fisted her hands at her side. "Tell me what's going on, right now!"

  "Fine." A long snarl rattled from Turner's chest and Riley flinched. "You want to know the truth? Your father wasn't just a geneticist. He ran an underground program that dissected and mutilated metamorphs. He was responsible for the death of hundreds, maybe thousands, of innocent lives, all in the name of research."

  The color drained from Riley's face.

  Turner knew he was being too harsh, but he couldn't shake his growing anger, the resentment that lurked just below the surface. Even when his lion rumbled in warning, he pushed on.

  "Right before his death he wasn't only killing metamorphs. He was extracting their organs…heart, lungs, kidneys, liver…and transplanting them into humans. He was trying to find a way to replicate metamorph DNA. To give humans metamorph strength—our ability to heal and fight off disease. He was looking for a way to turn humans into metamorphs…sound familiar?"

  Riley visibly stiffened. He saw the tremble in her chin, and watched as she pulled it back, her expression unreadable. She was stronger than he gave her credit for. But it didn't change the fact that her father was a monster.

  "Your sister turning into a fucking lion wasn't random. Somehow your father is responsible and I'm going to find out how."

  "You're wrong. My father was a good man. He'd never intentionally hurt people."

  "We weren't people to him," Turner growled. "Just animals to torture."

  Her eyes glossed over and she shook her head.

  "He's telling the truth," Chase said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Turner's shoulder as if to pull him back from the edge. "The Therian Agency has spent years compiling data on your father."

  She shrank back, away from them. "No, no, no."

  "Think about it, Riley." Turner shrugged his brother's hand away and took another step towards her. "Marcus DuPoint worked for your father. How do you think he knew about me, about what I am? And where do you think he got the shit to infect Kiera? Sorry to break it to you sweetheart, but your father's the monster responsible for turning your sister into a fucking lion, and when I get my hands on—"

  "Enough." Lora put herself between him and Riley. "You don't have to be such an ass about it."

  "She needs to know what he's done," Turner said.

  "Maybe, but not like this. You're scaring her." Lora turned to Riley. "Why don't you come and sit down."

  Riley didn't move, even when Lora tried to gently nudge her towards the living room. She stared at the floor, her expression unreadable. After a long moment of silence, Riley finally looked up, meeting Turner's gaze, green eyes brimming with unshed tears.

  "There were tapes," Riley whispered.

  The words were spoken so soft that Turner almost missed them. "Tapes?"

  "VHS tapes. Hundreds of them. I found them when I was about ten or eleven. I thought they were documentaries he'd recorded, but when I put one in to watch…" She closed her eyes and shivered. With a steadying breath, she opened her eyes. There was acknowledgement and deep grief behind the emerald depths. "He wasn't just experimenting on animals…they were people?"

  She took an unsteady step and reached out to grasp the counter. A tear slid down her cheek and she swiped it away with the back of her sleeve.

  Guilt slammed into him. He'd done this to her.

  "Riley, I'm sorry." He moved in to comfort her and she pulled back.

  "I want to go home," she whispered.

  "I can't take you back there. I don't know who else might be tracking you."

  "I-I just need to lie down."

  Turner swore he could hear the thundering of her heart, or was it the sound of it breaking? He exhaled a sharp curse and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, drawing her against his chest.

  "She can stay here," Lora offered, glaring at Turner.

  "No." He wasn't leaving her and he didn't think she wanted him to either.

  Riley relaxed in his arms, but she held in the sobs that he could feel building within her chest. He needed to get her hom
e—to his home.

  He turned to Chase. "Get the syringe to the labs. If it's what I think it is, then maybe we have a shot of creating an antidote."

  Chase nodded sharply, his lips drawn in a tight line. "I'll call you when I have any information."

  Turner barely heard his brother's words. All he could think about was the woman in his arms. He'd just destroyed everything she thought was real, and yet she clung to him as if he were her lifeline.

  What would she do if she realized he lied to her? Sure, it was a lie of omission. Not telling her he was responsible for the fire that took her father away from her was still a lie, and if she knew…he shook the thought away. He'd just have to make sure she never found out.

  Lora was right. He really was an ass.

  He led Riley out of the house and helped her into the car, taking the time to buckle her seatbelt for her. She sat silently, staring blankly out the window.

  He'd take her back to his apartment and make sure she was comfortable. Marcus DuPoint would have to wait one more day before Turner sunk his claws in the man's throat.

  Chapter 12

  Turner tossed his car keys on the kitchen table alongside the groceries he'd picked up, then walked down the hall to his bedroom to check on Riley. She hadn't spoken since they left his brother's place and her silence was killing him. He had no idea what she was thinking, or how she was feeling. He cursed himself for even caring, but for whatever insane reason, he did.

  He gave a single tap on the doorframe and peeked his head in.

  Her back was turned to him, but he could tell by her breathing she wasn't asleep.

  "I picked up some food." He scratched the back of his neck when she didn't respond. "Thought I could make us a couple of sandwiches."

  "I'm not hungry." There was a tiny movement under the comforter.

  "Okay." He leaned against the doorframe, uncertain whether he should push her to eat. "I'll be in the next room if you need anything."

  He waited a beat, and when she didn't respond, he turned to leave. He heard the bed creak and a soft exhale of breath.

  "Turner?"

  Her voice made his stomach twist. God, what he wouldn't do to take the suffering out of it.

  He paused at the door, then turned around. "Yeah?"

  She sat up with her back against the headboard, and chewed on her bottom lip.

  "Will you stay with me?" Her eyes were red from crying, making the vivid green appear brighter than normal. "Please."

  Even as he moved towards the bed, he knew it was a bad idea, but he didn't care. He crawled in next to her and laid on his back, stretching his arm out so that she could rest her head on his shoulder.

  Her head tucked under his chin, she placed a hand on his chest and sighed. A few minutes passed before either of them spoke. Riley was the first to break the silence.

  "Why are you helping me?"

  He clenched and unclenched his jaw. Did he even know the truth anymore? He shouldn't have let her get to him the way she did. She could never be his, even if the thought made his lion stir and his body harden. His animal had remained relatively silent during the whole ordeal, but he could feel it pacing, as if the beast had a hidden agenda, waiting in the shadows.

  Her fingers fluttered across his chest, tracing random patterns on his t-shirt. "After everything my father did, how can you even look at me?"

  "You're not responsible for his actions." He placed his hand over hers.

  "No, but I'm still his daughter."

  "You're nothing like him," he said, knowing in his gut that it was the truth. How could a man like Richard Boyd be responsible for creating a woman like Riley? He tightened his grip and pulled her closer.

  "Do you really think my father created whatever is responsible for changing Kiera and all those other people?"

  "Yes."

  She was quiet for a moment. "So you think Marcus continued his research?"

  He nodded against her head. It was more likely that Marcus was still working with Boyd, but he couldn't tell her that.

  "Marcus idolized my father, and the way he hung around Kiera, I thought he had feelings for her. Why would Marcus want to turn Kiera to hurt her like this? It doesn't make sense."

  He scrubbed his free hand over his face and sighed. "I don't know."

  "When he had the needle to my neck, he said it was the only way of fixing her, but I don't think he was talking about Kiera."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "I don't know, just something he said."

  Turner propped himself on an elbow and looked down at her. "Tell me."

  "He said he needed Kiera, because he would have to fix her."

  "Who?"

  "He didn't say, but I got the impression that he knows someone who may be able to reverse the process."

  "Fuck." Turner threw himself back on the pillow. It had to be Boyd. There was no other explanation. If what she said was true, then there was no doubt that Boyd was alive, and he was sure Marcus knew where the bastard was.

  "What is it?"

  What was he supposed to say? He couldn't tell her that her father was still alive, not after what she'd already learned today. How much shock could one person go through without having a complete nervous breakdown?

  "I think I may know who Marcus is working with."

  Her eyes brightened. "That's good then?"

  He cringed inwardly. "Yeah, it's good news."

  "Thank you." She wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him hard on the cheek and pulled back smiling. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up yesterday."

  He knew exactly what she would have done; he'd seen it a hundred times. She would have called the police. The call would have been flagged by the Therian agency, and a team would have been assigned to wipe the place, and Riley's mind of the event. Kiera would have been placed in holding among the other victims, and Riley would spend the rest of her life believing some fabricated tale that one of the agents would have created to explain Kiera's disappearance.

  In some ways, it would have been better if he hadn't found her. She would never have known, wouldn't have to live with the knowledge of what her father had done, what kind of a man he was. But it was too late now, and Turner was in way too deep to walk away.

  He brushed her hair away from her face. If Boyd was alive, then that meant he wasn't responsible for her father's death. The knot that had been tightening in his stomach slowly started to loosen.

  "You're smiling," she said, as if it were a rare occurrence.

  "Am I?"

  She nodded, tucked her chin and looked at him under hooded lashes. Fuck, she was irresistible when she looked at him that way. His heart thumped painfully in his chest. He lifted his hand and ran his fingers over the soft outline of her jaw and down her neck. His fingers skimmed the rapidly beating artery, his gaze drawn to delicate skin that covered it.

  She swallowed hard. "What are you thinking about?"

  "That there's nothing more in the world that I want then to kiss you right now."

  Her tongue darted over her lips. It was as good as an open invitation. He dipped his head and brushed his lips lightly over hers. When he pulled back, a feral growl tore from his throat. She was a freaking aphrodisiac, and yet she pulled on something deeper within, a part of himself he didn't know existed.

  Her breath came in little bursts. He was aware of her body, the physical reaction she had to his touch. He had to get away before he did something they both would regret. But something held him, refused to release her. He ran his tongue over his canines and tasted the sweet substance. He sucked in a deep breath. Shit, no wonder his animal had been so quiet—it was ready to mark her.

  Chapter 13

  Turner jumped off the bed like her kiss had burned him. Riley looked up at him, confused. Had she done something wrong?

  He paced the small room and raked both hands through his hair, the movement causing the muscles in his arms to flex and strain against the thin fabric of
his t-shirt. His face had gone pale, and there was a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.

  "Are you okay?"

  "No, I'm not fucking okay," he bit out, pinning her with a fierce gaze.

  She drew back, not prepared for the intensity she saw behind his silvery blue eyes. He looked as if he were ready to consume her with his next breath, which wasn't all that unlikely considering he was a lion.

  "Sorry," she whispered, as if she had made the accusation out loud.

  He scrubbed his hands over his face. "You've done nothing wrong."

  She crawled off the bed and stood, making her way towards the door. "I shouldn't have asked you to lie down with me. Whatever this is between us, it's best we—"

  He had her pinned before she could blink, his hard body pressed against her, palms flat against the wall, trapping her. "You have no fucking idea what's between us."

  His voice was thick, heavy with need, and she shivered in response.

  Holy hell the man was sexy.

  "Then tell me," she whispered.

  She didn't think it was possible, but his expression darkened even more. A look that made her insides melt.

  He was close enough that his breath tickled her lips. His gaze slid down to her mouth as he brought a hand to her throat. His thumb caressed the area where her pulse seemed to beat with a life of its own. He dipped his head and ran his lips over down her neck, nipping gently at the spot his thumb had been.

  A soft moan formed in her throat. He barely touched her and yet her entire body trembled with need.

  "Turner." She could hear the plea in her voice, demanding more.

  A growl, more animal than human, resonated from his chest. "My lion wants to mark you."

  "Mark me?"

  He nodded slowly, his gaze returning to hers. "Make you my mate."

  "Oh." She didn't know what else to say. The idea sent a thrill of excitement down her spine. His animal wanted her, but by his reaction, she knew the man in him wasn't too keen on the idea. "And that makes you mad?"

  He tilted his head and studied her. "It just complicates things."

  "Because of my father."